THE q|4 



GARDEN YARD "* 



size, and take longer to ripen; therefore anyone taking 

 the trouble to raise plants and set them out, and neglect- 

 ing them afterwards, is acting very foolishly. 



"Continue to gather the fruits as ready, keeping a 

 sharp look-out after the end of September for signs of 

 frost. When this is feared, gather all the fuU-grown 

 fruit on the plants whether green or not — ^they will 

 ripen in-doors; but exercise some judgment, and do not 

 gather fruit which is not full grown. This may color, 

 but even if it does, it will be shrivelled and a bad color, 

 and will spoil the market for better fruit. It is better to 

 leave the immature fruit on the plants, as the frost may 

 pass without doing any material damage, and there may 

 be several weeks more of mild weather, which wUl give 

 several more pickings of full-grown green fruit. I have 

 picked in this way until the first week in November, 

 some years. 



"The fruit must be graded into 'best smoothing,' 

 'small smooths,' — which description does not include 

 very small fruits, but only those just too small for an 

 even sample, — 'seconds,' and 'thirds.' Seconds are 

 good sound fruit, but include all the misshapen ones. 

 Thirds are sound odds and ends — it is better to avoid 

 the grade if possible. The fruit is sent to markets in 

 baskets. 



"Tomatoes may be obtained from the open in July 

 by sowing the seed a month earlier, and growing on with 

 more room in pots. If each plant has 9 in. square 

 of space, and is properly attended to, it will have smaU 

 fruits set when planted out, and ripe fruit can be gathered 

 in July. 



